Open Thread: What's Your Burger Breaking Point?

I've had a lot of boundary-pushing burgers, so my personal definition of what a burger can be is pretty flexible, but even I can only go so far. Grilled cheese as buns? Sounds awesome. Bacon patty? Ok, I'll try that. Double-decker burger with a beef patty and a bacon burger soaked in bone marrow, separated by a white cheddar and bacon grilled cheese sandwich, topped with Southern Comfort drunken onions, a sunny side up duck egg, and house-made 1000 Island aioli (like "The Excesstasy Burger" at Slater's 50/50)? I'll let these two videos sum up my thoughts:

How about you? At what point is a burger so over-the-top or just plain crazy that it no longer qualifies as a burger (or something you'd ever want to eat)? Let us know in the comments section below.

Highlights from last week's Open Thread

Burger with sriracha mayo from The Public Kitchen and Bar in Savannah, GA (AHT review) [Photograph: Erin Jackson]

Judging by the comments on last week's open thread, mayo is the traditional burger topping most amenable to tweaking. Lots of you chimed in with ideas for how to make it taste better, like blending it with chipotle, Sriracha, A1, harissa, horseradish, or chimichurri, or making mayo-based sauces like dbnoho, who suggested blending mayo with caramelized shallots, black pepper, and diced pickles, TheSecretChef, who goes for a blend of sour cream, lemon juice, paprika, and a pinch of salt, and king_cucaracha, who likes mayo with balsamic vinegar, paprika, and oregano. Here are a few other ideas from the comments section:

This is good on a lot of stuff, not just burgers: Sriracha + Tonkatsu sauce.

Note: the poll remains open, so these numbers may shift slightly in the future.

About the author: Erin Jackson is a food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best eats in San Diego. You can find all of her discoveries on her San Diego food blog EJeats.com. On Twitter, she's @ErinJax

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About the Author

Erin has been covering the San Diego food scene for Serious Eats since 2010 and is the city editor for Dining Out San Diego. She loves burgers, spicy curries of all stripes, and sweets. Read about more of her discoveries on EJeats.com.